Chapter Ten – The Ministry vs. Harry Potter
The next morning Harry walked into the courtroom pleased that it was completely filled with witches and wizards. Dumbledore had subtly expanded the size of the room so there were probably three hundred more people in the room than it would usually hold. As Harry walked though the doors the murmuring of the crowd stopped for a moment, taking in his appearance.
Harry had planned this day down to the minutiae of what he was wearing, and what his friends were wearing. Harry had purchased new robes for himself, Hermione, Remus, and the Weasley family. It all comported with his plan.
Harry's robe was a finely crafted silken black robe. The black fabric seemed to glow with light, setting an eerie reflection around Harry. The cuffs were stitched in gold thread, adding certain elegance to the robe. On the back was the golden head of a Gryffin. Harry wanted everyone to remember that he was a Gryffindor at Hogwarts, the house noted for the bravery of its students. But what was truly spectacular about the image on his back was that it moved. Every few minutes a slithering snake with red eyes with v-shaped markings would appear and the massive jaw of the Gryffin would snap down on the snake and bite its head off. Harry thought this was a perfect reminder of his history, his present, and his future. He, Harry, was the living symbol of the wizarding world's ability to fight evil. His robe demonstrated that with dramatic visual effect that should not be lost on any of those gathered in the courtroom.
The Weasley family members were wearing well-designed robes in various warm shades of brown and cream. Harry had insisted on purchasing the robes and picking out the colors. The women were wearing two subtly different cream colored robes that helped accentuate the red hair both had. Ron and Mr. Weasley were wearing a deep brown that reminded Harry of a very healthy tree at the park he worked at over the summer. The twins were wearing identical tan robes that accentuated their freckles. Hermione was wearing a green robe that blended very well with Ron's robe, and as they walked so closely together that they looked like a living bush. Finally Remus was wearing splendid purple robes that were hued along the lines of ancient nobility. Harry was particularly pleased with the effect this had on Remus, it made him look like an emperor or ancient king.
Looking around the courtroom, Harry started to panic. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was not there. His entire strategy, his entire plan on this day rested on the presumption that Fudge would be there to try to imprison Harry. As his panic started growing into fear, Dumbledore entered the courtroom.
"I call this courtroom into session for the matter of the Ministry versus Harry Potter. I see that the defendant is present, but I do not see an official from the Ministry that intends to prosecute this case. Has anyone seen Minister Fudge?"
The momentary silence was followed by fierce whispering throughout the room. Ron leaned over triumphantly to Hermione and whispered in her ear.
"We've won then, if Fudge doesn't show up, the charges have to be dropped. No one else will prosecute him."
Nodding her head, Hermione looked thoughtfully at Harry. He was obviously distressed at this turn of events, and she wanted to know why. He should be grateful that he was going to be cleared, again. But he was concerned. Hermione couldn't fathom why he was so upset.
Suddenly the door to the courtroom was slammed open, revealing Percy Weasley standing in the middle of the doorway in his formal robes. Striding pompously to the middle of the courtroom floor, he lifted his head as if speaking to the ceiling.
"Witches and Wizards, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
Percy started solemnly applauding the entrance of the Minister. Fudge had obviously given his attire as much thought as had Harry and he was dressed in impeccably designed robes. Every inch of his clothing spoke of the majesty and power of the Ministry, and the presumption that such majesty should fall upon the Minister himself. Walking in with an arrogance that reminded Harry strongly of Lucius Malfoy, Harry was pleased to see that only a small portion of the audience had joined Percy's clapping. Harry could also see that most of those that were clapping were doing so mostly out of confusion than any real desire to welcome the Minister.
"Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic." Fudge said, announcing himself to the courtroom. "I will be representing the Ministry's interests, and the wizarding world's interests, in this matter."
Dumbledore eyed him without expression. "I think we all know who you are Cornelius. The pomp is certainly a new affectation. I doubt it is necessary. However, you may proceed."
"Excellent. I call upon Percy Weasley to take the stand."
Percy came down and eagerly swallowed his dose of Veritaserum. His eyes shown with a fervor for power and need for respect that made Harry feel very uncomfortable. This was not going to be a good day, by the end, for young Percy. Harry only hoped that it would not sever Percy's ability to think for himself when it was all over.
"Thank you for testifying today," Fudge said. "Please describe the events in question from your point of view."
"Certainly Minister Fudge." Percy was fawning in his attempt to ingratiate himself with Fudge. It made Harry sick. "I will do what I can for the truth. It was early evening and we had just learned of a diabolical attack by Deatheaters on Azkaban prison. You wisely ordered Aurors and other wizards to the scene to secure the prison, but you also asked a few of us to remain behind in case the prison was not the only planned attack. As we were monitoring the magical battle, we realized that there was another magical battle taking place at number 4, Privet Drive."
"The Dursley residence, where Mr. Potter was residing?" asked Fudge.
"Yes. You have ordered us to monitor that location quite closely. I attempted to enter the Magical Law Enforcement office, but was delayed by Madam Bones' deputy. It was not until I showed them your order that I be allowed in that they relented.
"There, I was able to watch Harry Potter cast numerous spells, of various complexity and savagery. He transfigured something into a dagger, and he cast many spells of dubious nature, curses, hexes, jinxes. All throughout his neighborhood which is a Muggle village no less.
"Then, suddenly, he stopped. There was no magic for a while. After some time had passed he started using simple cleaning spells and repairing spells. Obviously trying to hide what he had done. Covering up his tracks, I suppose.
"Once we were certain that the attack on Azkaban was not a feint and that there would not be a separate attack on the Ministry, we proceeded to Little Whinging, Surrey, to apprehend Mr. Potter and bring him in to custody. When we arrived we found Molly Weasley in the process of obliviating the Muggles, even though she does not have the proper Ministry training to do that. She attempted to prevent our arrest of Mr. Potter. We tried to stun her to prevent her from interfering and Mr. Potter jumped in front of the spell. The next thing I remember is waking up in St. Mungo's."
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. No further questions." Turning with a grin on his face he scowled at Harry. "Your witness."
"Percy," began Harry.
"I would prefer it if you were to call me Mr. Weasley," Percy said snappishly.
Taking a deep breath, Harry counted to ten before continuing. "Fine. Mr. Weasley, when you were observing me did you notice that I was in a battle for my life with Voldemort's Deatheaters?"
Percy paled at hearing Harry so casually mention Voldemort's name.
"No, the charms don't record use of magic for all wizards, just underage magic. It would be impossible to track all uses of magic."
"Ok, so you saw me summon the whistle, transfigure a mirror, and cast a stunning spell. It never occurred to you that I might be under attack? That I might be in danger?"
"We didn't know which spells you were casting at first, Madam Bones wouldn't let us into her office."
"Ok, Percy. Sorry, Mr. Weasley. But when you did get into her office, what spells did you see me cast?"
"We saw a variety of spells. Stunners, curses, hexes, and jinxes. A flagrant display of magic in front of all those Muggles."
"And did it never occur to you that there might be a reason for it? You never once thought, well, Voldemort is back, he's tried to get Harry a few times, maybe Harry's in trouble?"
"No. I thought that you were displaying your power to demonstrate your superiority over the Muggles."
"And what would make you think such a thing? When have I ever demonstrated a desire to flaunt my power over others?"
Harry was surprised by the momentary look of triumph he saw flashing in Fudge's eyes, and by the fleeting glimpse of panic in Dumbledore's eyes. While he understood how foolish Fudge was being by thinking this was a victory, Harry was confused by Dumbledore's reaction. Didn't his headmaster understand that Harry needed Fudge to be overconfident? Didn't Dumbledore understand that Harry wanted the whole world to understand all of his run-ins with evil while at Hogwarts? Only by showing what had happened through the eyes of his enemies, even such pathetic enemies as Fudge and Percy, would the wizarding world truly understand what they were facing, and how incompetent the current Ministry was in dealing with the situation. Hoping Dumbledore would figure out Harry's strategy, he pressed on.
"Mr. Weasley, could you give the court an example of this supposed behavior? We're waiting."
Thrilled with the opportunity, Percy started by describing the exploits from Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Harry allowed the monologue to continue without interruption as Percy described what he knew of Harry's desperate attempt to save the Sorcerer's stone from Voldemort's clutches. While Percy obviously didn't know all of the details, they were accurate enough for Harry to let any inconsistencies slide by.
"I'm not entirely sure how this is a demonstration of my desire to flaunt my power over others, Mr. Weasley. But I do have a question for you. If I, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger hadn't prevented Professor Quirrel from obtaining the Sorcerer's Stone, what would have happened? Wouldn't he have used it to give Voldemort immortality and unlimited gold?"
"We only have your word for it. How do we know that Lord-Thingy," he said uncomfortably, "was there? We only have your word for it"
"Well, we can have Professor Dumbledore verify that Quirrel was being controlled by Voldemort, if necessary. But let's just stipulate that it is true. What would have happened? Quirrel would have given him the Stone and Voldemort would have gained immortality. Would that have been a good result? Should I have just sat back and watched it happen?"
"You should have contacted a professor or a prefect."
"So you think that because I didn't contact one of those people, I was seeking attention. I wasn't trying to save the Stone and protect Hogwarts?"
"But you killed him. You should be in Azkaban!" Percy was getting desperate now.
"Yes, I killed him. I regret that, somewhat. He was trying to kill me. Should I have just sat there and get murdered? Would that be less attention seeking?"
Percy was spluttering now.
"But let's move on," continued Harry, relentlessly. "Any other examples?"
Stupidly, Percy obliged. He started describing the events of Harry's second year. This time his explanation was a bit more accurate, until he described when Harry and Ron entered the Chamber. Harry interrupted.
"You are forgetting something, Mr. Weasley. Ron and I tried to approach a Professor. We asked Professor Lockhart, but he was going to perform a Memory Charm on us. He would have let your sister die, and again Voldemort would have returned to life. But we kept Lockhart from harming us and then we went into the Chamber."
"You should never have gone down there without more help, but you wanted the glory, the attention."
"Are you really this stupid?" asked Harry coldly. "Your sister's life was at stake. We had no idea how much longer Ginny would be alive. Dumbledore was gone and we couldn't trust anyone to do the right thing. We had to move quickly. And I was the only Parseltongue, so it was up to me. We went down, saved your sister, and defeated Voldemort again. What's wrong with that? Should we have let Ginny die? Should we have let Voldemort get resurrected?"
Percy stared at him wordlessly, confusion finally entering his head.
"I didn't think so. Now, let's go on, any more examples of my glory seeking? Perhaps you'd like to recount my fourth year for the Court?"
Shaking his head, finally realizing that he was not helping Minister Fudge, Percy refused to divulge his thoughts. Harry knew he was winning, so he forced Percy to talk.
"Your honor, I demand that Mr. Weasley tell us his view of my exploits during my fourth year. I have reason to believe that he thinks my participation in the TriWizard Championship was another attempt to make me more famous."
Dumbledore had finally realized where Harry was going with this and grimly ordered Percy to testify. Looking with panicked eyes at Fudge, Percy continued. Since the Veritaserum was still working he had to tell the truth that he perceived. He described how Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, how Harry managed to beat the dragon, save Ron and the others from the lake, and the events in the maze up until Harry and Cedric's disappearance. He then described how Harry had returned, clutching Cedric's body, as if that was a crime in and of itself.
"But didn't we learn that Barty Crouch was masquerading as Professor Moody, and it was his responsibility for putting my name in the Goblet and making me a Champion? And what was I supposed to do when I was in it, deliberately lose? How is it wrong for me to do my best? And didn't I try to avoid attention, only to get dragged into things by Ludo Bagman, and yourself?
"Again, when Cedric and I were brought to the graveyard, what was I supposed to do? Wormtail killed Cedric right away, neither of us had a chance to react. After Voldemort was restored to a body, and I fought him off, I had to bring Cedric's body back. Wasn't that the right thing to do? Cedric's parents were grateful that I did that. Is the Ministry upset that I tried to honor Cedric's memory? Should I have allowed Voldemort or his Deatheaters to kill me because I would have garnered less attention as another casualty on his list?"
"No!" shouted Percy. "But you are twisting everything around. It wasn't like that. You are spinning everything to make you look okay, make you look like a hero."
"No, I'm just telling it as I see it. I never set out to do those things. They happened to me and I responded. I'm sorry it doesn't fit into your neat little world of politics and order, but sometimes bad things happen and good people need to respond."
Turning to Dumbledore, Harry shrugged his shoulders. "No more questions."
Fudge was absolutely livid. When Percy meekly walked over to him, Fudge was whispering savagely, his hands moving rapidly and his face was bright red from suppressed anger. Dumbledore cleared his throat a few times, trying to get Fudge's attention. When that failed he clapped his hands together, magically amplifying the noise to break through Fudge's tirade.
Obviously distressed, Fudge snapped his head up and glared at Dumbledore. Taking a moment to regain his footing, Fudge finally shot a malicious glare at Harry.
"I call Petunia Dursley to the stand."
Murmured whisperings fluttered throughout the courtroom. Dumbledore's eyes flashed with anger, but he glanced at Harry. Harry looked thoughtfully at Dumbledore and sadly nodded his head. While Harry had certainly anticipated this, he did not relish this situation.
Aunt Petunia entered the courtroom, her nose turned up in disgust at being in the presence of so many magical people. She glared at Harry, her eyes accusing him for forcing her into this situation.
"Mrs. Dursley, you are Harry's guardian, are you not?" Fudge began his questioning.
"Yes."
"And you are a Muggle? A non-magical person," he added for her benefit.
"If you mean I'm not a freak like all of you, yes."
"So, you are a Muggle," he said quickly, trying to deflect her ire. "Has Mr. Potter ever performed any magic on you or your family?"
"Yes, the little brat has."
Fudge asked her to explain the instances of Harry's use of magic on his family. Dumbledore quickly interrupted.
"Mr. Potter, you are allowed to object. This testimony would not be relevant to the matter at hand." Turning to Fudge, he continued. "As you are aware Cornelius, this trial is only pertinent to the events of August 1, not every incident of Harry's use or misuse of magic."
"No," interjected Harry. "I'll allow it. I have no objection to my Aunt telling the Court how much she hates me and my magic."
Fudge had obviously not thought this through very carefully, otherwise he would not have asked Petunia Dursley to testify. She was likely to add to the sympathy factor for Harry. But it was too late to stop now.
Petunia started by describing every incident that had happened from the time that Harry had been placed in her care. She knew each incident by heart and was able to recite them all. Her anger and venom increased as she catalogued each event, her disgust for magic obvious to everyone in the room, including Fudge.
"Erm, thank you. You have laid out a clear pattern of Harry's misconduct as it pertains to his ability to control and use magic. No more questions."
Harry wasn't sure where to start, what he wanted to gain from her testimony, so he started with the attack first.
"Aunt Petunia, could you tell me what happened on the evening of August 1st?"
"We were home eating dinner, thankfully without you, and suddenly our house was enveloped in a bright light. We knew it had to do with your kind, so we were naturally afraid for our lives. I went to the window and saw six of your kind aiming pieces of wood at our home. Bright lights show out of their wood and hit the glowing light. The beams from the wood reflected and hit the neighbors, the cars out front, the road, everywhere.
"They were shouting for you to come out, and then one of them was dragging Mrs. Figg out to our front yard. Suddenly the one holding Mrs. Figg dropped to the ground, another disappeared, and all pandemonium broke out. Mrs. Figg came flying toward you, and they started chasing you. You ran, they chased, two disappeared and reappeared. You went out of my sight, but I heard loud cracks and bursts of noise. We could see strange and eerie lights, and then the sounds stopped.
"After a while I saw that red-haired woman going from neighbor to neighbor, and they foolishly let her in. Then another gang of your foul kind showed up. You had a confrontation and they pointed their sticks at that woman. Bright beams of light shot out from each of them and you jumped in front of it. The beams shot back and you fell to the ground. Then even more of your kind showed up, and then you all quickly disappeared."
Aunt Petunia's testimony might have pleased Harry if she hadn't snarled the entire time.
"Thank you Aunt Petunia. Tell me, what do you think of magic? Of people that use magic?"
"It's disgusting. You are all freaks and unnatural. You should be put down like vermin. You all think you are so powerful and important, but it's not normal."
Petunia ignored the gasps and muttered outrage floating across the courtroom. Even Fudge seemed to find this to be an offensive statement.
"Ok, and one last question. Did you try to prevent me from learning I was a wizard? Did you want to keep me from becoming magical?"
"Yes, we tried to stamp it out from the day you arrived. You know we didn't want you to be like Lily, we never wanted you to learn about your abnormality. But we couldn't stop it. He made it impossible, him and that huge freak of his." She glared accusingly at Dumbledore who shook his head sadly. While he knew how much hatred Petunia had for magic, Dumbledore didn't realize the extent that her hatred ran. He felt another wave of sorrow wash over him, and regret for abandoning Harry to her care so many years ago.
"Thank you, Aunt Petunia. No more questions."
Aunt Petunia quickly left the room and the whispering in the courtroom was full of anger and disgust. Fudge, realizing that he was losing control of his case decided to cut his losses.
"I have no more witnesses at this time. But I do reserve the right to call rebuttal witnesses to any of the lies this boy may force upon this court."
Dumbledore's eyes flashed with anger and he half stood, prepared to defend Harry's honor. But Harry was prepared.
"Your honor, I have only one witness. I did not inform him that I would call him, but the Court will understand that he should already be prepared to testify."
"Alright Harry, who would you like to call?" Dumbledore knew, of course, but was fully capable of adding to the drama of the moment.
"It is simple. I call the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
Harry was certain that there could not be an ounce of oxygen left in the room after the simultaneous gasps throughout the courtroom sucked in every last bit of air. The sound was deafening and the shocked look on everyone's faces was worth savoring. Harry momentarily wished he had a Pensieve so that he could replay that moment over and over again.
Fudge was equally shocked, but a look of cunning came over his face. Curtly nodding to Percy, he marched to the witness stand and took his seat. Glaring at Harry he smiled smugly.
"I suspect that you will insist that I take a dose of Veritaserum?"
"No," replied Harry. "You are the Minister of Magic. If we cannot rely on your being truthful, well, what can we rely on?"
Harry could tell that Fudge was surprised. Little did Fudge know that Harry's line of questioning was bound to reveal the truth as Fudge saw it, without the need of any truth serum.
"Now, let's begin. After the events at Hogwarts during my first year, did you believe that Voldemort was again active and seeking a return to his body?"
"No, it was a story cooked up by you and Dumbledore. He wanted my office and you wanted the attention, the glory."
"Can you explain Professor Quirrel's death?"
"No. But I have no proof that he is deceased. He may be hiding or just missing."
"Okay. How about during my second year. When it was proven that Tom Riddle's diary was responsible for controlling a student there, for immobilizing the students, for opening the Chamber of Secrets, did you think that maybe Voldemort was trying to come back?"
"No. I thought Hagrid had opened up the Chamber again, and that you were using your Dark gift to gain attention and seek glory."
"Ok. During my third year, when you placed Dementors to protect Hogwarts, why did you do that?"
"Sirius Black had escaped, and we thought he was going to try to kill you, to try to avenge his master."
"But that wasn't true was it? Sirius did escape, but he was trying to protect me from Pettigrew. He was innocent, wasn't he?"
"I didn't know that at the time," Fudge said petulantly. "But yes Sirius was innocent of the murder of those Muggles, but he is probably guilty of other crimes."
"Unnamed crimes without proof?" interrupted Dumbledore. "I would think that the Minister of Magic would be more careful with his accusations."
Fudge just scowled at him.
"Fine Minister, let's move on to my fourth year. When I returned with Cedric's body, and explained how Voldemort had returned, what did you think?"
"I thought you were making up another fanciful story, or perhaps that you had been tricked into thinking that. We all knew He was dead, and you were just seeking more attention, or trying to come up with a good story about how Cedric died."
"And the fact that Barty Crouch Jr. was pretending to be Alastor Moody? It was a coincidence that one of Voldemort's strongest supporters just happened to be there?"
"I thought he was responsible for everything, for Cedric, for you being in the Championship. He obviously was trying to regain some of his power despite the fact that Lord- Thingy was dead."
"Voldemort. Voldemort. Voldemort." Each time Harry shouted the name Fudge flinched. Harry sighed but continued.
"And why did you have the Dementor Kiss him? Why not get as much information out of him first?"
"He had already escaped Azkaban, he was a powerful wizard, and my life was in jeopardy."
"Despite the fact that Albus Dumbledore, the world's most powerful wizard, had stunned him? You really believed that Crouch would be able to attack you?"
"Yes. Who else would he go after, but the Minister of Magic?"
"You certainly think a lot of your position, sir. But let's move on. Over that summer, you knew I said that Voldemort returned. It was confirmed for you by Albus Dumbledore. And yet you persisted in believing that Voldemort hadn't returned. Why?"
"I thought it was a plot by you and Dumbledore to destabilize the Ministry, take my job. That's all you wanted."
"So despite Cedric's death, despite the disappearance of Bertha Jenkins, despite Barty Crouch Jr., despite the prison break at Azkaban, despite it all, you thought it was just a simple ruse by a wizard who had already refused the job and a teenage boy? That's relatively pathetic, Minister.
"But let's move on. You saw for your own eyes that Voldemort had indeed returned. You saw him right after Albus Dumbledore had defeated him, just before he disappeared with Bellatrix Lestrange. Correct?"
"Yes," Fudge replied sullenly.
"So, you knew that Voldemort was back. You knew, or should have known, that I was his primary target. Dumbledore told you that I was his main focus. But instead of trying to protect me, instead of using the Ministry's resources to make sure I was safe, you ignored the threat to my life. Shouldn't the Ministry have tried to protect me?"
"Why?" sneered Fudge. "You are just one person. The Ministry had to protect the entire wizarding world, not focus on just one boy."
"True, and I never asked for your protection. But instead of offering me protection, or ignoring me altogether, you spent precious resources, assigned scarce staff to determine if I was using magic, but never stopped to think about why I might have been using magic."
"Well, I knew you were central to his plot, so I wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything to call attention to yourself. Plus, Dumbledore said you were protected."
"Right," Harry's voice was laced with sarcasm. "You assigned Percy and half a dozen of your lackeys to see if I was doing magic. Then, when they saw that I was, they waited until the coast was clear before doing anything about it. It was hours, Minister. Hours between my first spell and when they showed up. That seems a little suspicious to me."
"You don't understand. Dumbledore is just using you as a pawn. He wants to be Minister, you are just a symbol that he's using to bring him to power."
"Minister, I don't know what is worse. The fact that you think this to be true, or the fact that you fear this is true."
Turning sadly to Dumbledore, Harry looked up at his headmaster.
"Your honor, I have no more questions. I rest my case."
"Minister Fudge, do you have any more witnesses? No? Then you are allowed a closing argument."
Fudge looked around the courtroom. He was still aware enough of his political skills to recognize the hostile crowd, but he seemingly couldn't control his anger and animosity towards Harry and Dumbledore.
"I do not much to say other than this. Harry has conceded his guilt. He admits to using magic outside of school when he clearly had alternatives. The laws are set for specific reasons, and no amount of histrionics or hysterical assumptions make the facts go away. Harry did not need to use his magic, and he must be punished. The law is clear."
"Harry," said Dumbledore. "Any closing statement?"
This was finally the moment Harry had prepared for. Certainly Fudge had helped set the stage for what Harry was about to do. Oddly, Harry felt no anxiety, no tremors of nervousness. Standing before the Court he took in a deep breath.
"Your Honor, Members of the Wizengamot, witches and wizards. These are momentous days. Dark and oppressive days. We face a great and rising evil that threatens to destroy us all. But we must stand firm, and we must stand strong, else we lose our way of life, and our very lives.
"The rule of law is important, I recognize that and admit that we all must strive to obey the maxims of the law to their fullest extent. Did I commit the crimes for which I am today accused? An important question, it must be answered here in full.
"My answer is simple: Yes.
"I knowingly and purposefully broke the law prohibiting the use of magic by an underage wizard. I had been warned in the past, broken the law in the past. I knew the consequences for my actions, and willingly, eagerly violated the law.
"But I should not be punished for it. The law clearly states that it is allowable to use magic in a life-threatening situation. Granted my life was not immediately in danger, but Arabella Figg's was. I had no other choice.
"So I ask the Wizengamot to refute these ridiculous charges, and to clear my name. I am confident that you will do so."
Harry was reassured by the near unanimous nodding of heads from the court, and the audience.
"But I have another request," he continued. "One that I am loath to make, but it has become apparent that it is needed. There is a provision in Wizard law, a provision unused for a long time, centuries to be exact, but is still in effect and still binding.
"It is clear that I am here, standing accused before this Court, on spurious charges, on flawed reasoning, and for dubious motives. It is clear that the wizarding world faces a great danger, one that the Ministry is failing to respond to in any meaningful way. We must act now before it is too late, or we will lose in the fight against evil. We will lose to Voldemort.
"I stand before you as an accused wizard, accused by no less than the Minister of Magic himself. I hereby invoke Merlin's Writ."
Fudge jumped from his chair, red faced with anger, spit flying out of his mouth.
"Preposterous! This is unheard of, it is unacceptable. You arrogant child, you are so clearly Dumbledore's pawn. I knew this was all a plot to remove me from power. Aurors, I order you to take Harry into custody and remove him from this courtroom. Immediately."
As the few Aurors who chose to obey moved towards Harry they found themselves suddenly unable to take another step.
"I forbid this!" shouted Amelia Bones, her wand waving dangerously in the air. "The witness has the right to invoke Merlin's Writ. You do not have the right to intervene, Cornelius. The Wizengamot alone will make this decision. Aurors, Minister Fudge's authority is suspended. You will stand down."
The Aurors who had moved towards Harry nodded their heads feebly and Madam Bones released them from her spell.
Turning towards Dumbledore, Madam Bones shook her head.
"Chief Warlock, Merlin's Writ has been invoked. Do you agree that the conditions have been met?"
Dumbledore slowly nodded his head, refusing to meet Harry's eyes.
Nodding her head in return, Madam Bones turned to Fudge.
"Minister of Magic, Merlin's Writ has been invoked. Do you agree that the conditions have been met?"
"No!" shouted Fudge. "This boy doesn't know what he is doing. He has been prepped by Dumbledore to destroy the Ministry. They want my power, nothing less."
"Minister, the reasons do not matter. Merlin's Writ has been invoked. The Chief Warlock certifies that the conditions have been met. I too certify that the conditions have been met. You have no choice."
Ron leaned over to Hermione and whispered an urgent question into her ear.
"What is Merlin's Writ? What's going on?"
"It's almost unheard of, it hasn't been used in centuries. Basically, a witch or wizard who is being prosecuted by the Minister of Magic can invoke Merlin's Writ."
"That's obvious, Hermione," Ron whispered sarcastically, "but what does that mean?"
"Well, Harry is challenging Fudge's right to be Minister. He's basically saying that this prosecution is politically motivated and that it is illegitimate. It forces an immediate convocation of the heads of department of the Ministry, and the Chief Warlock. If they agree that Harry is right, the Minister is removed from office and a vacancy declared."
"So then we have elections?" asked Ginny.
"No, that's why it's so unheard of. The accuser, Harry, gets to nominate a new Minister of Magic. The heads of department and the Chief Warlock have to agree. If they don't, then there's an election."
"So Harry will get to pick the new Minister? Wicked," said Ron, grinning with anticipation. They returned their attention to Harry and Fudge.
"Minister, I'm sorry," Harry said, with no regret in his voice. "But you are unstable and unsuited for the position in these times. You have focused on maintaining your power at the expense of the truth. You have avoided being honest with the people and instead tried to protect your friends and financial contributors. You allowed a known Deatheater intimate access to the Ministry, and you refused to accept that Voldemort had returned. Costing a full year of preparation, of recruiting allies to our cause, of training new Aurors, to fight the evil.
"You have accused me, needlessly, of crimes that were mere technicalities. Your flunkies knew I was being attacked, knew I was in danger, but tried to preserve your power base, tried to avoid any real conflict with desperately evil wizards.
"You have kept your head in the sand for too long, at too great a price. Even now Aurors are at St. Mungo's, recovering from wounds that need never be inflicted if you had removed the Dementors from Azkaban. Even now we are unaware of what Voldemort is doing because you failed to recruit spies. Even now beings who might have helped us, Giants, centaurs, more, are either aligning against us or refusing to aid us due to your obsession with mastery over non-humans.
"You were a competent leader, if frivolous, during the relative peace. But we can not afford to keep you on during a time of war."
Looking up at the Court, at the heads of the Ministry's departments, Harry continued.
"I know this is an unusual situation. Merlin's Writ has never been successfully invoked. It failed the previous times, as it should have. But it is different now. I stand before you unjustly accused. I stand before you as a symbol of what happens when evil reigns. I charge you, in the name of the safety of the entire world, wizard and Muggle alike, to invoke Merlin's Writ so that we can protect the world."
Fudge opened his mouth as if to respond, but Madam Bones quickly cast a silencing charm on him.
"Minister, the law, though ancient, is clear. You do not have the right to respond. Your actions, your history, your leadership must speak for itself. A decision must now be reached."
Turning to her colleagues, she addressed them one by one. Calling on each department, she asked them the same questions.
"Do you agree to invoke Merlin's Writ? Do you agree to remove the Minister of Magic?"
As she made her way down the list, each Department head answered with the same response. She finally reached Dumbledore.
"Chief Warlock, the heads of department are unanimous. What say you? Do you agree to invoke Merlin's Writ? Do you agree to remove the Minister of Magic?"
Dumbledore looked sadly down at Minister Fudge, knowing this would create an enemy for life.
"Yes, I concur with the heads of department. Merlin's Writ is invoked. I agree to remove the Minister of Magic."
Silence greeted his words, an ominous silence that stunned the entire courtroom.
Madam Bones looked down at her former boss with no emotion evident on her face or in her voice. "Cornelius Fudge, Merlin's Writ has been invoked. The heads of department and the Chief Warlock are unanimous, as is required by this ancient law. You are hereby removed from the office of the Minister of Magic. You have our thanks for your service."
"You foul boy! You senile old fool!" Fudge was fuming at both Harry and Dumbledore. "You will regret this. You will regret this for the rest of your lives. I knew you wanted my office, Dumbledore. I knew it. Well, boy, get on with it. Make your coup complete. Name Dumbledore as my replacement, come on."
Harry looked sadly at the former Minister.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "You don't understand. This isn't about you. It isn't about me, or Dumbledore. It's about protecting the world. Professor Dumbledore doesn't want it, if he did he'd already be the Minister. No, it will be someone else."
"Then who?" asked Madam Bones, shock crossing her face. She had naturally assumed that Dumbledore would be Harry's choice. That it wasn't going to be Dumbledore confused her, as well as the rest of the audience.
"My choice is simple, and obvious, really. But first you need to be aware of a few things. When Voldemort rose to power the first time, there was a group of people who knew him for the evil that he was. Professor Dumbledore saw Voldemort's rise, and made preparations to protect the world. He gathered a group of extraordinary witches and wizards and they banded together to protect us, to prepare for the coming of evil. Dumbledore called them the Order of the Phoenix. My parents were part of it, which is why Voldemort targeted them. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, the Longbottoms, Alastor Moody, and many, many others. They did what they could, working with the Ministry when possible, without the Ministry's involvement when necessary. They saved many lives, and no one knew of their sacrifices, their heroism.
"When Voldemort was destroyed by me, after killing my parents, the Ministry relaxed. They reduced the number of Aurors, they stopped concentrating on finding and punishing the Dark wizards. The world became complacent. We forgot what evil was like, how dreadful it was, how ruthless. But Professor Dumbledore didn't forget, and neither did the Order. They watched, they waited, and they remained prepared.
"Now Voldemort is back. At first no one believed me, except Professor Dumbledore. He knew it was true. And the Order believed him, and they then believed me. The Order slowly made plans, preparations, and precautions. They helped protect me, they helped protect us all. They have made sacrifices, been attacked, and risked their lives time and time again to save the world from Voldemort's evil.
"Now you may be wondering why I am revealing the Order's existence when Professor Dumbledore has avoided questions about it in the past. It is necessary that all of these heroes receive their full recognition, and it is important that you understand what they have done. The new Minister of Magic must be prepared to fight evil and defeat it. The Order has been devoted to that cause for longer than I've been alive. It only makes sense to call on the Order to provide us with a new Minister.
"But who do we ask? Professor Dumbledore has already said no. Were I to name him now he would never forgive me and probably refuse to serve. But there are many other capable witches and wizards in the Order, most would be a preferable leader over the former Minister. So what do we need in a Minister at this time?
"We need someone who knows how to deal with conflict. No offense, but the heads of department can often act like unruly children."
"We know who it is, don't we?" asked Fred.
"We need someone who understands the importance of humility. What better candidate that one who has toiled for years in the depths of the Ministry?"
"I think so," replied George.
"We need someone who understands the importance of diplomacy. What better candidate than a man who must deal with a famously temperamentally wife?
"Sweet Merlin," Ron whispered. "Is Harry insane?"
"We need a someone who understand the importance of our relationship with other races, including Muggles. This evil confronts the whole world, and the whole world must be protected."
"He must be," breathed Ginny, stunned at what Harry was proposing.
"We need someone who knows both the Ministry and the Order. There is only one individual who meets that description. Only one wizard who has the ability to change the Ministry, work with the Order, and only one wizard with the generosity of spirit to protect the entire world.
"I think he's incredibly smart," said Hermione. "It makes tremendous sense."
"He is a noble man, but often misunderstood. He is a powerful man, but in things that others may not respect. He is a man of deep love for his family, for his friends, for an orphaned boy that he treats like a son."
"I think I'll kill him," said Mrs. Weasley.
Harry turned to look directly at the Weasley family. His eyes were shining with purpose and his voice was calm and collected. He knew, with an absolute certainty, that what he was doing was the right thing.
"We need Arthur Weasley to be the next Minister of Magic."
***
Author's notes:
Thanks, as always for the reviews, glad folks are enjoying it.
David305 – Thanks for the lengthy review, you have some good points, but here's my thinking on why Harry didn't need to testify for Wormtail's trial. First, the charges were focused on the death of the muggles he killed and framed Sirius for, not necessarily for Cedric's murder. Second, since Harry had already testified about the events at the graveyard under Veritaserum during Malfoy's trial, Dumbledore allowed it into the record. Third, who says that the wizarding world has to follow all of our procedural rules? But your points are valid. Harry's trial is the last one I plan to write, so we won't have to face this again. I think.
I had a vigorous debate with my Beta about the scores on the OWLS, so I am pleased to see that I was right and she was wrong. (However she was more than persuasive, so made me write what I have there). Fortunately she now owes me a case of butterbeer. Now we just need to figure out where to get it from.
Oh, and of course everyone was gracious in their thanks to the twins, but I was more interested in the waitress to talk about it. Don't forget, just because it's not written down doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Otherwise Harry and all would explode since I never bring them to the bathroom.
Some have emailed me a concern about the scores as being too high. I disagree. I'm not trying to make Harry and Ron out as superheroes, but in my experience people under pressure score better than they think. And don't forget Hermione's influence. I swear I would never have passed calculus if I didn't study for days with my best friend. He was (and still is) amazingly intelligent and it rubbed off enough for me to pass the finals. I, of course, promptly forgot every bit of what I crammed into my head as soon as I walked out of the classroom, but I still managed to get an A, which would not have been possible the day before, or after, I took the test.
Hope you enjoy this. There may be a delay for the next chapter, but we're just not thrilled with how it's flowing. We'll see. I'm trying to stick to every Friday as my post date.
The next morning Harry walked into the courtroom pleased that it was completely filled with witches and wizards. Dumbledore had subtly expanded the size of the room so there were probably three hundred more people in the room than it would usually hold. As Harry walked though the doors the murmuring of the crowd stopped for a moment, taking in his appearance.
Harry had planned this day down to the minutiae of what he was wearing, and what his friends were wearing. Harry had purchased new robes for himself, Hermione, Remus, and the Weasley family. It all comported with his plan.
Harry's robe was a finely crafted silken black robe. The black fabric seemed to glow with light, setting an eerie reflection around Harry. The cuffs were stitched in gold thread, adding certain elegance to the robe. On the back was the golden head of a Gryffin. Harry wanted everyone to remember that he was a Gryffindor at Hogwarts, the house noted for the bravery of its students. But what was truly spectacular about the image on his back was that it moved. Every few minutes a slithering snake with red eyes with v-shaped markings would appear and the massive jaw of the Gryffin would snap down on the snake and bite its head off. Harry thought this was a perfect reminder of his history, his present, and his future. He, Harry, was the living symbol of the wizarding world's ability to fight evil. His robe demonstrated that with dramatic visual effect that should not be lost on any of those gathered in the courtroom.
The Weasley family members were wearing well-designed robes in various warm shades of brown and cream. Harry had insisted on purchasing the robes and picking out the colors. The women were wearing two subtly different cream colored robes that helped accentuate the red hair both had. Ron and Mr. Weasley were wearing a deep brown that reminded Harry of a very healthy tree at the park he worked at over the summer. The twins were wearing identical tan robes that accentuated their freckles. Hermione was wearing a green robe that blended very well with Ron's robe, and as they walked so closely together that they looked like a living bush. Finally Remus was wearing splendid purple robes that were hued along the lines of ancient nobility. Harry was particularly pleased with the effect this had on Remus, it made him look like an emperor or ancient king.
Looking around the courtroom, Harry started to panic. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was not there. His entire strategy, his entire plan on this day rested on the presumption that Fudge would be there to try to imprison Harry. As his panic started growing into fear, Dumbledore entered the courtroom.
"I call this courtroom into session for the matter of the Ministry versus Harry Potter. I see that the defendant is present, but I do not see an official from the Ministry that intends to prosecute this case. Has anyone seen Minister Fudge?"
The momentary silence was followed by fierce whispering throughout the room. Ron leaned over triumphantly to Hermione and whispered in her ear.
"We've won then, if Fudge doesn't show up, the charges have to be dropped. No one else will prosecute him."
Nodding her head, Hermione looked thoughtfully at Harry. He was obviously distressed at this turn of events, and she wanted to know why. He should be grateful that he was going to be cleared, again. But he was concerned. Hermione couldn't fathom why he was so upset.
Suddenly the door to the courtroom was slammed open, revealing Percy Weasley standing in the middle of the doorway in his formal robes. Striding pompously to the middle of the courtroom floor, he lifted his head as if speaking to the ceiling.
"Witches and Wizards, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
Percy started solemnly applauding the entrance of the Minister. Fudge had obviously given his attire as much thought as had Harry and he was dressed in impeccably designed robes. Every inch of his clothing spoke of the majesty and power of the Ministry, and the presumption that such majesty should fall upon the Minister himself. Walking in with an arrogance that reminded Harry strongly of Lucius Malfoy, Harry was pleased to see that only a small portion of the audience had joined Percy's clapping. Harry could also see that most of those that were clapping were doing so mostly out of confusion than any real desire to welcome the Minister.
"Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic." Fudge said, announcing himself to the courtroom. "I will be representing the Ministry's interests, and the wizarding world's interests, in this matter."
Dumbledore eyed him without expression. "I think we all know who you are Cornelius. The pomp is certainly a new affectation. I doubt it is necessary. However, you may proceed."
"Excellent. I call upon Percy Weasley to take the stand."
Percy came down and eagerly swallowed his dose of Veritaserum. His eyes shown with a fervor for power and need for respect that made Harry feel very uncomfortable. This was not going to be a good day, by the end, for young Percy. Harry only hoped that it would not sever Percy's ability to think for himself when it was all over.
"Thank you for testifying today," Fudge said. "Please describe the events in question from your point of view."
"Certainly Minister Fudge." Percy was fawning in his attempt to ingratiate himself with Fudge. It made Harry sick. "I will do what I can for the truth. It was early evening and we had just learned of a diabolical attack by Deatheaters on Azkaban prison. You wisely ordered Aurors and other wizards to the scene to secure the prison, but you also asked a few of us to remain behind in case the prison was not the only planned attack. As we were monitoring the magical battle, we realized that there was another magical battle taking place at number 4, Privet Drive."
"The Dursley residence, where Mr. Potter was residing?" asked Fudge.
"Yes. You have ordered us to monitor that location quite closely. I attempted to enter the Magical Law Enforcement office, but was delayed by Madam Bones' deputy. It was not until I showed them your order that I be allowed in that they relented.
"There, I was able to watch Harry Potter cast numerous spells, of various complexity and savagery. He transfigured something into a dagger, and he cast many spells of dubious nature, curses, hexes, jinxes. All throughout his neighborhood which is a Muggle village no less.
"Then, suddenly, he stopped. There was no magic for a while. After some time had passed he started using simple cleaning spells and repairing spells. Obviously trying to hide what he had done. Covering up his tracks, I suppose.
"Once we were certain that the attack on Azkaban was not a feint and that there would not be a separate attack on the Ministry, we proceeded to Little Whinging, Surrey, to apprehend Mr. Potter and bring him in to custody. When we arrived we found Molly Weasley in the process of obliviating the Muggles, even though she does not have the proper Ministry training to do that. She attempted to prevent our arrest of Mr. Potter. We tried to stun her to prevent her from interfering and Mr. Potter jumped in front of the spell. The next thing I remember is waking up in St. Mungo's."
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. No further questions." Turning with a grin on his face he scowled at Harry. "Your witness."
"Percy," began Harry.
"I would prefer it if you were to call me Mr. Weasley," Percy said snappishly.
Taking a deep breath, Harry counted to ten before continuing. "Fine. Mr. Weasley, when you were observing me did you notice that I was in a battle for my life with Voldemort's Deatheaters?"
Percy paled at hearing Harry so casually mention Voldemort's name.
"No, the charms don't record use of magic for all wizards, just underage magic. It would be impossible to track all uses of magic."
"Ok, so you saw me summon the whistle, transfigure a mirror, and cast a stunning spell. It never occurred to you that I might be under attack? That I might be in danger?"
"We didn't know which spells you were casting at first, Madam Bones wouldn't let us into her office."
"Ok, Percy. Sorry, Mr. Weasley. But when you did get into her office, what spells did you see me cast?"
"We saw a variety of spells. Stunners, curses, hexes, and jinxes. A flagrant display of magic in front of all those Muggles."
"And did it never occur to you that there might be a reason for it? You never once thought, well, Voldemort is back, he's tried to get Harry a few times, maybe Harry's in trouble?"
"No. I thought that you were displaying your power to demonstrate your superiority over the Muggles."
"And what would make you think such a thing? When have I ever demonstrated a desire to flaunt my power over others?"
Harry was surprised by the momentary look of triumph he saw flashing in Fudge's eyes, and by the fleeting glimpse of panic in Dumbledore's eyes. While he understood how foolish Fudge was being by thinking this was a victory, Harry was confused by Dumbledore's reaction. Didn't his headmaster understand that Harry needed Fudge to be overconfident? Didn't Dumbledore understand that Harry wanted the whole world to understand all of his run-ins with evil while at Hogwarts? Only by showing what had happened through the eyes of his enemies, even such pathetic enemies as Fudge and Percy, would the wizarding world truly understand what they were facing, and how incompetent the current Ministry was in dealing with the situation. Hoping Dumbledore would figure out Harry's strategy, he pressed on.
"Mr. Weasley, could you give the court an example of this supposed behavior? We're waiting."
Thrilled with the opportunity, Percy started by describing the exploits from Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Harry allowed the monologue to continue without interruption as Percy described what he knew of Harry's desperate attempt to save the Sorcerer's stone from Voldemort's clutches. While Percy obviously didn't know all of the details, they were accurate enough for Harry to let any inconsistencies slide by.
"I'm not entirely sure how this is a demonstration of my desire to flaunt my power over others, Mr. Weasley. But I do have a question for you. If I, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger hadn't prevented Professor Quirrel from obtaining the Sorcerer's Stone, what would have happened? Wouldn't he have used it to give Voldemort immortality and unlimited gold?"
"We only have your word for it. How do we know that Lord-Thingy," he said uncomfortably, "was there? We only have your word for it"
"Well, we can have Professor Dumbledore verify that Quirrel was being controlled by Voldemort, if necessary. But let's just stipulate that it is true. What would have happened? Quirrel would have given him the Stone and Voldemort would have gained immortality. Would that have been a good result? Should I have just sat back and watched it happen?"
"You should have contacted a professor or a prefect."
"So you think that because I didn't contact one of those people, I was seeking attention. I wasn't trying to save the Stone and protect Hogwarts?"
"But you killed him. You should be in Azkaban!" Percy was getting desperate now.
"Yes, I killed him. I regret that, somewhat. He was trying to kill me. Should I have just sat there and get murdered? Would that be less attention seeking?"
Percy was spluttering now.
"But let's move on," continued Harry, relentlessly. "Any other examples?"
Stupidly, Percy obliged. He started describing the events of Harry's second year. This time his explanation was a bit more accurate, until he described when Harry and Ron entered the Chamber. Harry interrupted.
"You are forgetting something, Mr. Weasley. Ron and I tried to approach a Professor. We asked Professor Lockhart, but he was going to perform a Memory Charm on us. He would have let your sister die, and again Voldemort would have returned to life. But we kept Lockhart from harming us and then we went into the Chamber."
"You should never have gone down there without more help, but you wanted the glory, the attention."
"Are you really this stupid?" asked Harry coldly. "Your sister's life was at stake. We had no idea how much longer Ginny would be alive. Dumbledore was gone and we couldn't trust anyone to do the right thing. We had to move quickly. And I was the only Parseltongue, so it was up to me. We went down, saved your sister, and defeated Voldemort again. What's wrong with that? Should we have let Ginny die? Should we have let Voldemort get resurrected?"
Percy stared at him wordlessly, confusion finally entering his head.
"I didn't think so. Now, let's go on, any more examples of my glory seeking? Perhaps you'd like to recount my fourth year for the Court?"
Shaking his head, finally realizing that he was not helping Minister Fudge, Percy refused to divulge his thoughts. Harry knew he was winning, so he forced Percy to talk.
"Your honor, I demand that Mr. Weasley tell us his view of my exploits during my fourth year. I have reason to believe that he thinks my participation in the TriWizard Championship was another attempt to make me more famous."
Dumbledore had finally realized where Harry was going with this and grimly ordered Percy to testify. Looking with panicked eyes at Fudge, Percy continued. Since the Veritaserum was still working he had to tell the truth that he perceived. He described how Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, how Harry managed to beat the dragon, save Ron and the others from the lake, and the events in the maze up until Harry and Cedric's disappearance. He then described how Harry had returned, clutching Cedric's body, as if that was a crime in and of itself.
"But didn't we learn that Barty Crouch was masquerading as Professor Moody, and it was his responsibility for putting my name in the Goblet and making me a Champion? And what was I supposed to do when I was in it, deliberately lose? How is it wrong for me to do my best? And didn't I try to avoid attention, only to get dragged into things by Ludo Bagman, and yourself?
"Again, when Cedric and I were brought to the graveyard, what was I supposed to do? Wormtail killed Cedric right away, neither of us had a chance to react. After Voldemort was restored to a body, and I fought him off, I had to bring Cedric's body back. Wasn't that the right thing to do? Cedric's parents were grateful that I did that. Is the Ministry upset that I tried to honor Cedric's memory? Should I have allowed Voldemort or his Deatheaters to kill me because I would have garnered less attention as another casualty on his list?"
"No!" shouted Percy. "But you are twisting everything around. It wasn't like that. You are spinning everything to make you look okay, make you look like a hero."
"No, I'm just telling it as I see it. I never set out to do those things. They happened to me and I responded. I'm sorry it doesn't fit into your neat little world of politics and order, but sometimes bad things happen and good people need to respond."
Turning to Dumbledore, Harry shrugged his shoulders. "No more questions."
Fudge was absolutely livid. When Percy meekly walked over to him, Fudge was whispering savagely, his hands moving rapidly and his face was bright red from suppressed anger. Dumbledore cleared his throat a few times, trying to get Fudge's attention. When that failed he clapped his hands together, magically amplifying the noise to break through Fudge's tirade.
Obviously distressed, Fudge snapped his head up and glared at Dumbledore. Taking a moment to regain his footing, Fudge finally shot a malicious glare at Harry.
"I call Petunia Dursley to the stand."
Murmured whisperings fluttered throughout the courtroom. Dumbledore's eyes flashed with anger, but he glanced at Harry. Harry looked thoughtfully at Dumbledore and sadly nodded his head. While Harry had certainly anticipated this, he did not relish this situation.
Aunt Petunia entered the courtroom, her nose turned up in disgust at being in the presence of so many magical people. She glared at Harry, her eyes accusing him for forcing her into this situation.
"Mrs. Dursley, you are Harry's guardian, are you not?" Fudge began his questioning.
"Yes."
"And you are a Muggle? A non-magical person," he added for her benefit.
"If you mean I'm not a freak like all of you, yes."
"So, you are a Muggle," he said quickly, trying to deflect her ire. "Has Mr. Potter ever performed any magic on you or your family?"
"Yes, the little brat has."
Fudge asked her to explain the instances of Harry's use of magic on his family. Dumbledore quickly interrupted.
"Mr. Potter, you are allowed to object. This testimony would not be relevant to the matter at hand." Turning to Fudge, he continued. "As you are aware Cornelius, this trial is only pertinent to the events of August 1, not every incident of Harry's use or misuse of magic."
"No," interjected Harry. "I'll allow it. I have no objection to my Aunt telling the Court how much she hates me and my magic."
Fudge had obviously not thought this through very carefully, otherwise he would not have asked Petunia Dursley to testify. She was likely to add to the sympathy factor for Harry. But it was too late to stop now.
Petunia started by describing every incident that had happened from the time that Harry had been placed in her care. She knew each incident by heart and was able to recite them all. Her anger and venom increased as she catalogued each event, her disgust for magic obvious to everyone in the room, including Fudge.
"Erm, thank you. You have laid out a clear pattern of Harry's misconduct as it pertains to his ability to control and use magic. No more questions."
Harry wasn't sure where to start, what he wanted to gain from her testimony, so he started with the attack first.
"Aunt Petunia, could you tell me what happened on the evening of August 1st?"
"We were home eating dinner, thankfully without you, and suddenly our house was enveloped in a bright light. We knew it had to do with your kind, so we were naturally afraid for our lives. I went to the window and saw six of your kind aiming pieces of wood at our home. Bright lights show out of their wood and hit the glowing light. The beams from the wood reflected and hit the neighbors, the cars out front, the road, everywhere.
"They were shouting for you to come out, and then one of them was dragging Mrs. Figg out to our front yard. Suddenly the one holding Mrs. Figg dropped to the ground, another disappeared, and all pandemonium broke out. Mrs. Figg came flying toward you, and they started chasing you. You ran, they chased, two disappeared and reappeared. You went out of my sight, but I heard loud cracks and bursts of noise. We could see strange and eerie lights, and then the sounds stopped.
"After a while I saw that red-haired woman going from neighbor to neighbor, and they foolishly let her in. Then another gang of your foul kind showed up. You had a confrontation and they pointed their sticks at that woman. Bright beams of light shot out from each of them and you jumped in front of it. The beams shot back and you fell to the ground. Then even more of your kind showed up, and then you all quickly disappeared."
Aunt Petunia's testimony might have pleased Harry if she hadn't snarled the entire time.
"Thank you Aunt Petunia. Tell me, what do you think of magic? Of people that use magic?"
"It's disgusting. You are all freaks and unnatural. You should be put down like vermin. You all think you are so powerful and important, but it's not normal."
Petunia ignored the gasps and muttered outrage floating across the courtroom. Even Fudge seemed to find this to be an offensive statement.
"Ok, and one last question. Did you try to prevent me from learning I was a wizard? Did you want to keep me from becoming magical?"
"Yes, we tried to stamp it out from the day you arrived. You know we didn't want you to be like Lily, we never wanted you to learn about your abnormality. But we couldn't stop it. He made it impossible, him and that huge freak of his." She glared accusingly at Dumbledore who shook his head sadly. While he knew how much hatred Petunia had for magic, Dumbledore didn't realize the extent that her hatred ran. He felt another wave of sorrow wash over him, and regret for abandoning Harry to her care so many years ago.
"Thank you, Aunt Petunia. No more questions."
Aunt Petunia quickly left the room and the whispering in the courtroom was full of anger and disgust. Fudge, realizing that he was losing control of his case decided to cut his losses.
"I have no more witnesses at this time. But I do reserve the right to call rebuttal witnesses to any of the lies this boy may force upon this court."
Dumbledore's eyes flashed with anger and he half stood, prepared to defend Harry's honor. But Harry was prepared.
"Your honor, I have only one witness. I did not inform him that I would call him, but the Court will understand that he should already be prepared to testify."
"Alright Harry, who would you like to call?" Dumbledore knew, of course, but was fully capable of adding to the drama of the moment.
"It is simple. I call the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
Harry was certain that there could not be an ounce of oxygen left in the room after the simultaneous gasps throughout the courtroom sucked in every last bit of air. The sound was deafening and the shocked look on everyone's faces was worth savoring. Harry momentarily wished he had a Pensieve so that he could replay that moment over and over again.
Fudge was equally shocked, but a look of cunning came over his face. Curtly nodding to Percy, he marched to the witness stand and took his seat. Glaring at Harry he smiled smugly.
"I suspect that you will insist that I take a dose of Veritaserum?"
"No," replied Harry. "You are the Minister of Magic. If we cannot rely on your being truthful, well, what can we rely on?"
Harry could tell that Fudge was surprised. Little did Fudge know that Harry's line of questioning was bound to reveal the truth as Fudge saw it, without the need of any truth serum.
"Now, let's begin. After the events at Hogwarts during my first year, did you believe that Voldemort was again active and seeking a return to his body?"
"No, it was a story cooked up by you and Dumbledore. He wanted my office and you wanted the attention, the glory."
"Can you explain Professor Quirrel's death?"
"No. But I have no proof that he is deceased. He may be hiding or just missing."
"Okay. How about during my second year. When it was proven that Tom Riddle's diary was responsible for controlling a student there, for immobilizing the students, for opening the Chamber of Secrets, did you think that maybe Voldemort was trying to come back?"
"No. I thought Hagrid had opened up the Chamber again, and that you were using your Dark gift to gain attention and seek glory."
"Ok. During my third year, when you placed Dementors to protect Hogwarts, why did you do that?"
"Sirius Black had escaped, and we thought he was going to try to kill you, to try to avenge his master."
"But that wasn't true was it? Sirius did escape, but he was trying to protect me from Pettigrew. He was innocent, wasn't he?"
"I didn't know that at the time," Fudge said petulantly. "But yes Sirius was innocent of the murder of those Muggles, but he is probably guilty of other crimes."
"Unnamed crimes without proof?" interrupted Dumbledore. "I would think that the Minister of Magic would be more careful with his accusations."
Fudge just scowled at him.
"Fine Minister, let's move on to my fourth year. When I returned with Cedric's body, and explained how Voldemort had returned, what did you think?"
"I thought you were making up another fanciful story, or perhaps that you had been tricked into thinking that. We all knew He was dead, and you were just seeking more attention, or trying to come up with a good story about how Cedric died."
"And the fact that Barty Crouch Jr. was pretending to be Alastor Moody? It was a coincidence that one of Voldemort's strongest supporters just happened to be there?"
"I thought he was responsible for everything, for Cedric, for you being in the Championship. He obviously was trying to regain some of his power despite the fact that Lord- Thingy was dead."
"Voldemort. Voldemort. Voldemort." Each time Harry shouted the name Fudge flinched. Harry sighed but continued.
"And why did you have the Dementor Kiss him? Why not get as much information out of him first?"
"He had already escaped Azkaban, he was a powerful wizard, and my life was in jeopardy."
"Despite the fact that Albus Dumbledore, the world's most powerful wizard, had stunned him? You really believed that Crouch would be able to attack you?"
"Yes. Who else would he go after, but the Minister of Magic?"
"You certainly think a lot of your position, sir. But let's move on. Over that summer, you knew I said that Voldemort returned. It was confirmed for you by Albus Dumbledore. And yet you persisted in believing that Voldemort hadn't returned. Why?"
"I thought it was a plot by you and Dumbledore to destabilize the Ministry, take my job. That's all you wanted."
"So despite Cedric's death, despite the disappearance of Bertha Jenkins, despite Barty Crouch Jr., despite the prison break at Azkaban, despite it all, you thought it was just a simple ruse by a wizard who had already refused the job and a teenage boy? That's relatively pathetic, Minister.
"But let's move on. You saw for your own eyes that Voldemort had indeed returned. You saw him right after Albus Dumbledore had defeated him, just before he disappeared with Bellatrix Lestrange. Correct?"
"Yes," Fudge replied sullenly.
"So, you knew that Voldemort was back. You knew, or should have known, that I was his primary target. Dumbledore told you that I was his main focus. But instead of trying to protect me, instead of using the Ministry's resources to make sure I was safe, you ignored the threat to my life. Shouldn't the Ministry have tried to protect me?"
"Why?" sneered Fudge. "You are just one person. The Ministry had to protect the entire wizarding world, not focus on just one boy."
"True, and I never asked for your protection. But instead of offering me protection, or ignoring me altogether, you spent precious resources, assigned scarce staff to determine if I was using magic, but never stopped to think about why I might have been using magic."
"Well, I knew you were central to his plot, so I wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything to call attention to yourself. Plus, Dumbledore said you were protected."
"Right," Harry's voice was laced with sarcasm. "You assigned Percy and half a dozen of your lackeys to see if I was doing magic. Then, when they saw that I was, they waited until the coast was clear before doing anything about it. It was hours, Minister. Hours between my first spell and when they showed up. That seems a little suspicious to me."
"You don't understand. Dumbledore is just using you as a pawn. He wants to be Minister, you are just a symbol that he's using to bring him to power."
"Minister, I don't know what is worse. The fact that you think this to be true, or the fact that you fear this is true."
Turning sadly to Dumbledore, Harry looked up at his headmaster.
"Your honor, I have no more questions. I rest my case."
"Minister Fudge, do you have any more witnesses? No? Then you are allowed a closing argument."
Fudge looked around the courtroom. He was still aware enough of his political skills to recognize the hostile crowd, but he seemingly couldn't control his anger and animosity towards Harry and Dumbledore.
"I do not much to say other than this. Harry has conceded his guilt. He admits to using magic outside of school when he clearly had alternatives. The laws are set for specific reasons, and no amount of histrionics or hysterical assumptions make the facts go away. Harry did not need to use his magic, and he must be punished. The law is clear."
"Harry," said Dumbledore. "Any closing statement?"
This was finally the moment Harry had prepared for. Certainly Fudge had helped set the stage for what Harry was about to do. Oddly, Harry felt no anxiety, no tremors of nervousness. Standing before the Court he took in a deep breath.
"Your Honor, Members of the Wizengamot, witches and wizards. These are momentous days. Dark and oppressive days. We face a great and rising evil that threatens to destroy us all. But we must stand firm, and we must stand strong, else we lose our way of life, and our very lives.
"The rule of law is important, I recognize that and admit that we all must strive to obey the maxims of the law to their fullest extent. Did I commit the crimes for which I am today accused? An important question, it must be answered here in full.
"My answer is simple: Yes.
"I knowingly and purposefully broke the law prohibiting the use of magic by an underage wizard. I had been warned in the past, broken the law in the past. I knew the consequences for my actions, and willingly, eagerly violated the law.
"But I should not be punished for it. The law clearly states that it is allowable to use magic in a life-threatening situation. Granted my life was not immediately in danger, but Arabella Figg's was. I had no other choice.
"So I ask the Wizengamot to refute these ridiculous charges, and to clear my name. I am confident that you will do so."
Harry was reassured by the near unanimous nodding of heads from the court, and the audience.
"But I have another request," he continued. "One that I am loath to make, but it has become apparent that it is needed. There is a provision in Wizard law, a provision unused for a long time, centuries to be exact, but is still in effect and still binding.
"It is clear that I am here, standing accused before this Court, on spurious charges, on flawed reasoning, and for dubious motives. It is clear that the wizarding world faces a great danger, one that the Ministry is failing to respond to in any meaningful way. We must act now before it is too late, or we will lose in the fight against evil. We will lose to Voldemort.
"I stand before you as an accused wizard, accused by no less than the Minister of Magic himself. I hereby invoke Merlin's Writ."
Fudge jumped from his chair, red faced with anger, spit flying out of his mouth.
"Preposterous! This is unheard of, it is unacceptable. You arrogant child, you are so clearly Dumbledore's pawn. I knew this was all a plot to remove me from power. Aurors, I order you to take Harry into custody and remove him from this courtroom. Immediately."
As the few Aurors who chose to obey moved towards Harry they found themselves suddenly unable to take another step.
"I forbid this!" shouted Amelia Bones, her wand waving dangerously in the air. "The witness has the right to invoke Merlin's Writ. You do not have the right to intervene, Cornelius. The Wizengamot alone will make this decision. Aurors, Minister Fudge's authority is suspended. You will stand down."
The Aurors who had moved towards Harry nodded their heads feebly and Madam Bones released them from her spell.
Turning towards Dumbledore, Madam Bones shook her head.
"Chief Warlock, Merlin's Writ has been invoked. Do you agree that the conditions have been met?"
Dumbledore slowly nodded his head, refusing to meet Harry's eyes.
Nodding her head in return, Madam Bones turned to Fudge.
"Minister of Magic, Merlin's Writ has been invoked. Do you agree that the conditions have been met?"
"No!" shouted Fudge. "This boy doesn't know what he is doing. He has been prepped by Dumbledore to destroy the Ministry. They want my power, nothing less."
"Minister, the reasons do not matter. Merlin's Writ has been invoked. The Chief Warlock certifies that the conditions have been met. I too certify that the conditions have been met. You have no choice."
Ron leaned over to Hermione and whispered an urgent question into her ear.
"What is Merlin's Writ? What's going on?"
"It's almost unheard of, it hasn't been used in centuries. Basically, a witch or wizard who is being prosecuted by the Minister of Magic can invoke Merlin's Writ."
"That's obvious, Hermione," Ron whispered sarcastically, "but what does that mean?"
"Well, Harry is challenging Fudge's right to be Minister. He's basically saying that this prosecution is politically motivated and that it is illegitimate. It forces an immediate convocation of the heads of department of the Ministry, and the Chief Warlock. If they agree that Harry is right, the Minister is removed from office and a vacancy declared."
"So then we have elections?" asked Ginny.
"No, that's why it's so unheard of. The accuser, Harry, gets to nominate a new Minister of Magic. The heads of department and the Chief Warlock have to agree. If they don't, then there's an election."
"So Harry will get to pick the new Minister? Wicked," said Ron, grinning with anticipation. They returned their attention to Harry and Fudge.
"Minister, I'm sorry," Harry said, with no regret in his voice. "But you are unstable and unsuited for the position in these times. You have focused on maintaining your power at the expense of the truth. You have avoided being honest with the people and instead tried to protect your friends and financial contributors. You allowed a known Deatheater intimate access to the Ministry, and you refused to accept that Voldemort had returned. Costing a full year of preparation, of recruiting allies to our cause, of training new Aurors, to fight the evil.
"You have accused me, needlessly, of crimes that were mere technicalities. Your flunkies knew I was being attacked, knew I was in danger, but tried to preserve your power base, tried to avoid any real conflict with desperately evil wizards.
"You have kept your head in the sand for too long, at too great a price. Even now Aurors are at St. Mungo's, recovering from wounds that need never be inflicted if you had removed the Dementors from Azkaban. Even now we are unaware of what Voldemort is doing because you failed to recruit spies. Even now beings who might have helped us, Giants, centaurs, more, are either aligning against us or refusing to aid us due to your obsession with mastery over non-humans.
"You were a competent leader, if frivolous, during the relative peace. But we can not afford to keep you on during a time of war."
Looking up at the Court, at the heads of the Ministry's departments, Harry continued.
"I know this is an unusual situation. Merlin's Writ has never been successfully invoked. It failed the previous times, as it should have. But it is different now. I stand before you unjustly accused. I stand before you as a symbol of what happens when evil reigns. I charge you, in the name of the safety of the entire world, wizard and Muggle alike, to invoke Merlin's Writ so that we can protect the world."
Fudge opened his mouth as if to respond, but Madam Bones quickly cast a silencing charm on him.
"Minister, the law, though ancient, is clear. You do not have the right to respond. Your actions, your history, your leadership must speak for itself. A decision must now be reached."
Turning to her colleagues, she addressed them one by one. Calling on each department, she asked them the same questions.
"Do you agree to invoke Merlin's Writ? Do you agree to remove the Minister of Magic?"
As she made her way down the list, each Department head answered with the same response. She finally reached Dumbledore.
"Chief Warlock, the heads of department are unanimous. What say you? Do you agree to invoke Merlin's Writ? Do you agree to remove the Minister of Magic?"
Dumbledore looked sadly down at Minister Fudge, knowing this would create an enemy for life.
"Yes, I concur with the heads of department. Merlin's Writ is invoked. I agree to remove the Minister of Magic."
Silence greeted his words, an ominous silence that stunned the entire courtroom.
Madam Bones looked down at her former boss with no emotion evident on her face or in her voice. "Cornelius Fudge, Merlin's Writ has been invoked. The heads of department and the Chief Warlock are unanimous, as is required by this ancient law. You are hereby removed from the office of the Minister of Magic. You have our thanks for your service."
"You foul boy! You senile old fool!" Fudge was fuming at both Harry and Dumbledore. "You will regret this. You will regret this for the rest of your lives. I knew you wanted my office, Dumbledore. I knew it. Well, boy, get on with it. Make your coup complete. Name Dumbledore as my replacement, come on."
Harry looked sadly at the former Minister.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "You don't understand. This isn't about you. It isn't about me, or Dumbledore. It's about protecting the world. Professor Dumbledore doesn't want it, if he did he'd already be the Minister. No, it will be someone else."
"Then who?" asked Madam Bones, shock crossing her face. She had naturally assumed that Dumbledore would be Harry's choice. That it wasn't going to be Dumbledore confused her, as well as the rest of the audience.
"My choice is simple, and obvious, really. But first you need to be aware of a few things. When Voldemort rose to power the first time, there was a group of people who knew him for the evil that he was. Professor Dumbledore saw Voldemort's rise, and made preparations to protect the world. He gathered a group of extraordinary witches and wizards and they banded together to protect us, to prepare for the coming of evil. Dumbledore called them the Order of the Phoenix. My parents were part of it, which is why Voldemort targeted them. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, the Longbottoms, Alastor Moody, and many, many others. They did what they could, working with the Ministry when possible, without the Ministry's involvement when necessary. They saved many lives, and no one knew of their sacrifices, their heroism.
"When Voldemort was destroyed by me, after killing my parents, the Ministry relaxed. They reduced the number of Aurors, they stopped concentrating on finding and punishing the Dark wizards. The world became complacent. We forgot what evil was like, how dreadful it was, how ruthless. But Professor Dumbledore didn't forget, and neither did the Order. They watched, they waited, and they remained prepared.
"Now Voldemort is back. At first no one believed me, except Professor Dumbledore. He knew it was true. And the Order believed him, and they then believed me. The Order slowly made plans, preparations, and precautions. They helped protect me, they helped protect us all. They have made sacrifices, been attacked, and risked their lives time and time again to save the world from Voldemort's evil.
"Now you may be wondering why I am revealing the Order's existence when Professor Dumbledore has avoided questions about it in the past. It is necessary that all of these heroes receive their full recognition, and it is important that you understand what they have done. The new Minister of Magic must be prepared to fight evil and defeat it. The Order has been devoted to that cause for longer than I've been alive. It only makes sense to call on the Order to provide us with a new Minister.
"But who do we ask? Professor Dumbledore has already said no. Were I to name him now he would never forgive me and probably refuse to serve. But there are many other capable witches and wizards in the Order, most would be a preferable leader over the former Minister. So what do we need in a Minister at this time?
"We need someone who knows how to deal with conflict. No offense, but the heads of department can often act like unruly children."
"We know who it is, don't we?" asked Fred.
"We need someone who understands the importance of humility. What better candidate that one who has toiled for years in the depths of the Ministry?"
"I think so," replied George.
"We need someone who understands the importance of diplomacy. What better candidate than a man who must deal with a famously temperamentally wife?
"Sweet Merlin," Ron whispered. "Is Harry insane?"
"We need a someone who understand the importance of our relationship with other races, including Muggles. This evil confronts the whole world, and the whole world must be protected."
"He must be," breathed Ginny, stunned at what Harry was proposing.
"We need someone who knows both the Ministry and the Order. There is only one individual who meets that description. Only one wizard who has the ability to change the Ministry, work with the Order, and only one wizard with the generosity of spirit to protect the entire world.
"I think he's incredibly smart," said Hermione. "It makes tremendous sense."
"He is a noble man, but often misunderstood. He is a powerful man, but in things that others may not respect. He is a man of deep love for his family, for his friends, for an orphaned boy that he treats like a son."
"I think I'll kill him," said Mrs. Weasley.
Harry turned to look directly at the Weasley family. His eyes were shining with purpose and his voice was calm and collected. He knew, with an absolute certainty, that what he was doing was the right thing.
"We need Arthur Weasley to be the next Minister of Magic."
***
Author's notes:
Thanks, as always for the reviews, glad folks are enjoying it.
David305 – Thanks for the lengthy review, you have some good points, but here's my thinking on why Harry didn't need to testify for Wormtail's trial. First, the charges were focused on the death of the muggles he killed and framed Sirius for, not necessarily for Cedric's murder. Second, since Harry had already testified about the events at the graveyard under Veritaserum during Malfoy's trial, Dumbledore allowed it into the record. Third, who says that the wizarding world has to follow all of our procedural rules? But your points are valid. Harry's trial is the last one I plan to write, so we won't have to face this again. I think.
I had a vigorous debate with my Beta about the scores on the OWLS, so I am pleased to see that I was right and she was wrong. (However she was more than persuasive, so made me write what I have there). Fortunately she now owes me a case of butterbeer. Now we just need to figure out where to get it from.
Oh, and of course everyone was gracious in their thanks to the twins, but I was more interested in the waitress to talk about it. Don't forget, just because it's not written down doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Otherwise Harry and all would explode since I never bring them to the bathroom.
Some have emailed me a concern about the scores as being too high. I disagree. I'm not trying to make Harry and Ron out as superheroes, but in my experience people under pressure score better than they think. And don't forget Hermione's influence. I swear I would never have passed calculus if I didn't study for days with my best friend. He was (and still is) amazingly intelligent and it rubbed off enough for me to pass the finals. I, of course, promptly forgot every bit of what I crammed into my head as soon as I walked out of the classroom, but I still managed to get an A, which would not have been possible the day before, or after, I took the test.
Hope you enjoy this. There may be a delay for the next chapter, but we're just not thrilled with how it's flowing. We'll see. I'm trying to stick to every Friday as my post date.